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Category Archives: Educational

From an article by Randy Christensen and Elaine MacDonald, Nov/Dec 2015, On the Level, Water Canada. Canadian water guidelines are weaker than those in other jurisdictions. Although having an apparent abundance of fresh water, Canada has considerable quality and quantity concerns. These concerns suggest too little is being done to protect the health and well being of Canadians. Our federal and provincial governments determine the level of allowable contamination in drinking water, known as the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality

The authors did a study (Waterproof Standards 2014), in which they found Canadian guidelines are weaker than those in the USA,the EU,and Australia…and are at risk of becoming weaker. There is also evidence that Canada has no standards for some substances, where others do. Of great concern is the Federal Provincial Territorial Committee on Drinking Water (CWD) has proposed doubling the allowable level for chromium. Cr-III is an essential nutrient…but Cr-VI is a known human carcinogen and is considered extremely toxic. Cr-VI is the contamination activist Erin Brockovitch exposed, as portrayed by Julie Roberts in the movie. The CWD’s proposal will put us out of step with our international peers and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Herbicide 2-4-D has also been detected frequently in surface water across Canada, and is associated with damage to the nervous system, liver and kidneys…and is considered a possible human carcinogen. Other countries have a standard 1.5 to 3 times stronger than the Canadian standard. Canada has no limit for Styrene, another possible human carcinogen, while the USA, Australia, and the WHO have set limits.

Precedent for better protection of Canada’s drinking water exists. We can do better , but our governments must must find the will to defend public health and protect Canada’s drinking water.

The following excerpts are from ‘How Exactly Wolves Change the Course of Rivers’ by Ray Molina of yourdailymedia.com Mar. 1, 2014

I know you’re thinking that this can’t be possible – just read on!
Just this week ViralNova posted this topic so I thought I’d republish it for those who missed it on Mar. 4, 2014. The video is really a must see.

…Trophic cascade is when the behavior of top predators have a trickling down effect on their environment. Let’s call these predators the “one percent.”The one percent may be vicious killing machines who think only of themselves, but even bad intentions could have good outcomes. We are finding out that their murderous ways can be useful in controlling the over population of herbivores that are eating more than their fair share, which leaves little for a multitude of other animals lower on the food chain.Eventually there will be plenty of wolves, perhaps even too many, and at some point we may need to protect the rest of the food chain from these top predators. But like most things, if not everything, there’s a time and a place.I do wonder about whether or not the Ecosystems would have just found a new way to balance themselves out over time. Who knows how long that might have taken though, or maybe it’s currently happening in ways we cannot yet witness.The main culprit of our Eco failures is you and me through our destruction of habitats through land-developing and hunting and pollution. We really blew it, and now we’re trying to cut our losses by celebrating animals that repair our mistakes.

In the video below, Author/Activist George Monbiot describes to an audience at TED the effects of Wolves that were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in the mid 90’s.He describes how the wolves, in a relatively short period of time, have transformed the landscape and allowed more varieties of life to flourish. And wolves did it in ways we never expected.It’s a humbling reminder of just how connected life on this planet really is.

The original TED talk by George Monbiot, gives numerous examples of how “rewilding” our ecosystem can give us back the earth our predecessors had the privilege of experiencing.

NOTE: There are “elk” pictured in this video when the narrator is referring to “deer.” This is because the narrator is British and the British word for “elk” is “red deer” or “deer” for short. The scientific report this is based on refers to elk so we wanted to be accurate with the truth of the story.

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable “trophic cascade” occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix.

Narration from TED: “For more wonder, rewild the world” by George Monbiot. Watch the full talk, here: http://bit.ly/N3m62h

Scientists are re-designing pharmaceuticals and other contaminants to keep them out of our drinking water.

Making pharmaceuticals that degrade before they can contaminate drinking water.

In recent years, researchers have realized that many products, including pharmaceuticals, have ended up where they’re not supposed to be — in our drinking water. But now scientists have developed a way to make drugs that break down into harmless compounds before they contaminate our taps.

The researchers chose to work with a commonly used drug called propranolol — a beta blocker prescribed to treat high blood pressure and to prevent heart problems. It is very stable and has been found in sewage. They made a small molecular change in its structure that didn’t affect its beta blocking activity but allowed it to break down more easily than the original form. Further studies are needed, but initial testing showed that the altered drug and its byproducts are likely not toxic. The researchers suggest that a similar approach could be used to re-design other classes of drugs and chemicals to make them more environmentally friendly, too.

A wide range of active ingredients originating from pesticides, shampoos, lotions, cosmetics, disinfectants and drugs get washed into sewage systems or rivers and streams, ending up in our tap water.

Scientists don’t have a complete picture yet of what effects these substances have on wildlife and human health, but they are a major concern. Researchers have detected them in low levels in streams and rivers across the United States and in other countries. To address the specific problem of medications in the environment, Klaus Kümmerer and colleagues made tweaks to pharmaceuticals so they degrade after they’ve passed through both the body and sewage treatment systems, which aren’t capable of scrubbing wastewater of all contaminants.

Dr. Klaus Kümmerer, professor of sustainable chemistry and material resources at the University of Lüneburg

The authors acknowledge funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research.

A quote from the book, “The Road to Happiness”, by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher: “I believe that happiness is an attitude of gratitude; and I commit to giving thanks.”

Enjoy the video further down…

“Happiness depends on ourselves.” More than anybody else, Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. As a result he devotes more space to the topic of happiness than any thinker prior to the modern era.

“Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” ~ Thoreau

Let us all strive to travel our own road to happiness with “The Happiness Creed”.

Here in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada we have a long weekend to look forward to. Labour Day is also celebrated in the USA this weekend. Were looking forward to some glorious sunny and warm weather – hope you are also, wherever home is for you and that you have been inspired by the video and plan to share with others.

Last week was World Water Week and I thought an appropriate topic choice would be water conservation in our homes. The following is taken from http://wateruseitwisely.com/ and includes tips for in and around the home. I am in the kitchen this week.

100+ WAYS TO CONSERVE

When it comes to conserving water, small adjustments can have a big impact. Here you can sort through nearly 200 water-saving tips, download and print tip posters or share your favorites on social media.

KITCHEN

There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.

When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run. Fill one basin with wash water and the other with rinse water.

Dishwashers typically use less water
than washing dishes by hand.
Now, Energy Star dishwashers save
even more water and energy. If your dishwasher is new, cut back on rinsing. Newer models clean more thoroughly than older ones.

Designate one glass for your drinking water each day, or refill a water bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash.

Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.

About two thirds of the human body is water. Some parts of the body contain more water than others. For example,
70% of your skin is water.

Public water suppliers process 38 billion gallons of water per day for domestic and public use.

A person can live more than a month without food, but only about a week, depending on conditions, without water.Approximately 1 million miles of pipelines and aqueducts carry water in the United States and Canada. That’s enough to circle the earth 40 times.

About 800,000 water wells are drilled each year in the United States for domestic, farming, commercial, and water testing purposes.

Typically, households consume at least 50% of their water by lawn watering.

Inside, toilets use the most water, with an average of 27 gallons per person per day.

In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure that drinking water is safe for human consumption. The Act requires public water systems to monitor and treat drinking water for safety.

More than 13 million households get their water from their own private wells and are responsible for treating and pumping the water themselves.

Industries released 197 million pounds of toxic chemicals into waterways in 1990.The average daily requirement for fresh water in the United States is about 40 billion gallons a day, with about 300 billion gallons used untreated for agriculture and commercial purposes.

Each person uses about 100 gallons of water a day at home.

The average five-minute shower takes between 15 to 25 gallons of water.